Privacy policy

Last updated: (04 February 2019)

This privacy policy sets out how Hensonshomes Ltd ("we", "our", "us"), trading as Hensons Homes, uses and protects the personal information you give us when you use this website. It also covers personal information provided to us through offline business dealings,

We are committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified, and then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement.

We may change this policy from time to time by updating this page. You should check this page from time to time to ensure that you are happy with any changes.

Information Collection And Use

Hensons Homes conducts business with a range of different 'customer types' listed below.

As a minimum, we will collect an individual's name, telephone number, e-mail address and home address for each customer type listed because there is a legitimate interest in holding this information in each instance, which we go on to explain below.

Lettings Applicant

A Lettings Applicant is an individual, individual acting on behalf of a company or a company who has made it known they are searching for a property to let and has requested further details on available properties or booked a viewing. For security reasons and in order to keep our staff safe when conducting viewings, we require the aforementioned personal information data as a minimum. Additionally, as a legitimate interest to a landlord Hensons Homes and in order to enter into a tenancy agreement, should a Lettings Applicant develop into a Prospective Tenant, he/she will be required to undergo referencing/credit checks, so information pertaining to their current employment and current housing situation will be required at this stage in order to be assured that the individual can satisfy referencing requirements. Finally, as a legitimate interest to seeking a property to let, we may send the Lettings Applicant details of further properties that may be of interest to them, so it is pertinent to know the individual's preferred area of residence, their maximum monthly budget and their personal situation regards to moving.

Prospective Tenant

A Prospective is an individual, individual acting on behalf of a company or a company who has decided they wish to take up residency of a property and has completed an application form to do so. We require the information the form requests in order to fulfil our legal obligation under tenancy deposit protection legislation (Housing Act 2004). Additionally, as a legitimate interest to the landlord Hensons Homes and in order to enter into a tenancy agreement, the information is required in order to undergo referencing/credit checks, so the information is contractually required. We will also be in receipt of information collected when the Prospective Tenant was a Lettings Applicant and may continue to process data in accordance with that customer type for the reasons stated previously.

Prospective Landlord

A Prospective Landlord is an individual, individual acting on behalf of a company or a company who has expressed an interest in using Hensons Homes' services for the purpose of securing tenants and/or managing a property owned or looked after by the Prospective Landlord. In most cases, we will need to attend the property to conduct a valuation, so for security reasons and in order to keep our staff safe when conducting valuations, we require the aforementioned personal information data as a minimum. To aid us in our valuation of the property before and after visiting the property, a legitimate interest we may also require information pertaining to the Prospective Landlord's ownership of the property, its condition and current tenure, e.g. leasehold or freehold, how long the property has been owned, how much it was purchased for, the layout of the property, who occupies it currently. Finally, as a legitimate interest to seeking a letting and/or managing agent, we may send the Prospective Landlord details of offers and services, as well as local property market news, by electronic or postal means. A Prospective Landlord becomes a Landlord when he/she signs our Landlord Terms of Business.

Tenant

A Tenant is an individual, individual acting on behalf of a company or a company who has signed a tenancy agreement ("contract") executed by Hensons Homes. In order to fulfil the terms of this contract, especially in ensuring repairs are completed swiftly, it is essential, where needed, that the Landlord Hensons Homes passes on the Tenant's essential contact information to authorised contractors so they can liaise with you for access to the property. A list of approved contractors is available from our head office. Additionally, the Landlord Hensons Homes has a legal obligation to inform the water board of who is occupying the property (Flood and Water Management Act 2010 and Water Industry Act 1991). As a legitimate interest to all parties, it may also be necessary to provide the local authority and/or utility companies with tenancy and contact information if they request details on who is/was in occupation of the property in question. We will also be in receipt of information collected when the Tenant was a Lettings Applicant and/or Prospective Tenant and may continue to process data in accordance with those customer types for the reasons stated previously.

Guarantor

A Guarantor is an individual, individual acting on behalf of a company or a company who has been asked to sign a Guarantor Agreement on behalf of a Prospective Tenant or Tenant so that he/she may enter into a Tenancy Agreement executed by Hensons Homes, therefore it is required in order to enter into a contract. The Guarantor Agreement can be found here. We require the information the agreement requests as a legitimate interest to the Landlord Hensons Homes in protecting themselves against loss to the property. Additionally, in order for the Tenant(s) to enter into a tenancy agreement, the Guarantor may require a credit check, in which case the information is contractually required.

Landlord

A Landlord is an individual, individual acting on behalf of a company or a company who has signed our Landlord Terms of Business to formally instruct us to act on his/her behalf in a tenant-find and/or managing agent capacity. We require the specific personal information requested within the Landlord Terms of Business in order to fulfil our legal obligation in providing the Landlord's essential contact details to Rent Smart Wales should they request information about their property and/or its owner(s). As a legitimate interest to both parties, it may be necessary for us to provide the local authority and/or utility companies with the Landlord's essential contact information if they request the property owners' details or they require information about an empty period. During the course of business, it may also be prudent for us to issue the Landlord's essential contact information to an approved contractor in order to discuss approved repairs/improvements on more detail. We will also be in receipt of information collected when the Landlord was a Prospective Landlord and may continue to process data in accordance with that customer type for the reasons stated previously.

Contractor

A Contractor is an individual, individual acting on behalf of a company or a company who has been instructed by Hensons Homes, a Landlord and/or a Vendor to carry out a job at a property. As a legitimate interest to completing the job swiftly and efficiently, we may share a Contractor's essential personal contact information with a Tenant, Landlord and/or Vendor in order to arrange mutually convenient access to a property.

Log Data

We will only retain personal data for as long as is necessary. How long is necessary can depend on a variety of factors.

In order to successfully and informatively respond to any potential court or insurance claim arising from dealings with any of customer types, as a commercial interest we will retain data for at least six years from the end of our business relationship as this is the maximum period of time an individual or company can submit a monetary court claim. We may choose to hold the information for longer should we see fit, however.

In any case, Money Laundering Regulations 2017 state that we must retain the records of Purchasers, Vendors, Purchasers' Solicitors and Vendors' Solicitors for a period of five years.

Additionally, the Limitation Act 1980 states adults have 3 years from the date of an incident (children have 3 years from their 18th birthday) in order to bring a personal injury claim to light, so data is retained for this period of time partly due to this legal ruling.

Cookies

Cookies are files with small amount of data, which may include an anonymous unique identifier. Cookies are sent to your browser from a web site and stored on your computer's hard drive.

Like many sites, we use "cookies" to collect information. You can instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, if you do not accept cookies, you may not be able to use some portions of our Site.

We use Google Analytics cookies to identify which pages are being used. This helps us analyse data about web page traffic and improve our website in order to tailor it to customer needs. We only use this information for statistical analysis purposes and then the data is removed from the system.

Security

We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we hold. This includes secured web databases and electronic software, as well as locked files where paper-based documents may be held.

We may transfer data that we collect from you to locations outside of the European Economic Area for processing and storing. Also, it may be processed by staff operating outside the European Economic Area who works for us or for one of our suppliers. For example, such staff maybe engaged in the processing and concluding of your order, the processing of your payment details and the provision of support services. By submitting your personal data, you agree to this transfer, storing or processing. We will take all reasonable steps to make sure that your data is treated securely and in agreement with this Privacy Policy.

Data that is provided to us is stored on our secure servers

Our servers that allow data capture use encrypted URLs with valid SSL certificates, meaning the data you share with us electronically is as safe as reasonably possible at the time of drafting this policy. Where we have given you (or where you have chosen) a password so that you can access certain parts of our site, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential.

Links to other websites

Our website may contain links to other websites. However, once you have used these links to leave our site, you should note that this privacy policy does not extend to any other website. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting such sites and such sites are not governed by this privacy statement. You should exercise caution and look at the privacy statement applicable to the website in question.

Individual rights

General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) gives individuals the following rights;

If you have previously agreed to us using your personal information for direct marketing purposes, you may change your mind at any time by writing to us or emailing our Data Protection Officer at info@hensonshomes.com.

Under the Data Protection Act 1988 and General Data Protection Regulations you may request details of personal information which we hold about you by making a subject access request to our Data Protection Officer at info@hensonshomes.com or by writing to us at Hensons Homes, 104 Salisbury Road, Cathays, Cardiff, CF24 4AE.

If you believe that any information we are holding on you is incorrect or incomplete, please write to or email us as soon as possible, at the above address. We will promptly correct any information found to be incorrect.

You may request that any information we hold about you is deleted and we will do so unless there is a legal basis for us to retain that information.